The Last Door

Developed by The Game Kitchen, The Last Door is a point and click adventure browser game where you are quickly introduced to Anthony Beechworth and launched into his story of despair. Unfortunately, the beginning was more as the end for him as you navigate through the introduction and assist him by clicking on necessary items. I felt that this was a very dark way to introduce you to Anthony and the impending sense of doom you'll eventually get to know throughout the story. He started something that leaves your character the only person capable of figuring out what has happened to his friend. The character you control is Jeremiah Devitt, a childhood friend of Anthony, who has received a letter that made it seem Anthony was on the edge of his sanity. The letter worries Devitt and he rushes to see how his friend is doing.

Once you step into Devitt's shoes, you are thrown into a sea of nostalgia as you arrive at Anthony's house to investigate. In the introduction, you were a witness of what happened to Anthony, but Devitt remains in the dark as you lead him around trying to figure out the mystery behind the odd letter. Hidden rooms, dead bodies, and odd paintings are just some of the many things you run into in chapter 1. Items are scattered around the house and can be crafted into different tools you may need. These items remain in your always visible inventory. Chapter 2 pushes it a bit to the odd side with strange wall paintings, people to interact with and childhood memories.

There is an overwhelming sense of dread throughout. The dark corners, ominous music and gloomy pixelation allows you to see just enough of what's out there to be a bit terrified. From the introduction and throughout the two episodes, the music assists with the story and keeps reminding you that something isn't quite right with that damn cat. As The Game Kitchen devs have mentioned in the game description, the design of this game oozes the dark creepiness that Edgar Allan Poe is known for. I'm thinking his works like The Black Cat, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher mixed with a little of The Pit and the Pendulum fit pretty well with some of the actions the player has to deal with.

The story transitions into Chapter 2 and continues with Devitt as he attempts to deal with the events from Chapter 1. He later travels to the old boarding school where he and Anthony were classmates. This chapter tries to explain past events that may have lead up to the events in Chapter 1 and why it may have affected Anthony. The puzzles throughout this chapter felt a little disconnected and misplaced from the story. I found myself wandering around clicking on everything just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I just kept missing out on the clues and getting stuck on not finding a particular item. The final parts of the chapter were a bit strange but should eventually be explained in Chapter 3.

Overall, the game definitely creeped me out, and it was fun to play in a dark room and headphones. I felt a bit off more with chapter 1 where I had to carry a half-dead crow in my inventory. It would move and eerily squawk in pain every few minutes. I couldn't do anything to stop it from making noises and when I thought it had died in my inventory, it would start moving once again. The cat made me jump. Stupid cat. I look forward to playing chapter 3. If you love point and click adventures that give you the creeps, I suggest you try out chapter 1 since it's free and see how the story works out for you. Chapter 2 and 3 of the series are now available, donate any amount and unlock the episode. Chapter 4 is currently in the works as season one hits Steam Greenlight.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Maybe try out a few hours of the single player. I’d definitely play Spec Ops more often. If you’re a diehard CoD fan, try then buy it. I’m sure the allure of its graphics and multiplayer gameplay will help you out in making a better decision.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

While the game isn't very long (my finished playtime was around seven hours) the game does a good job of not overstaying its welcome. You are presented with a compelling story that only keeps driving you forward to the end and makes you never want to put down your controller until the final cut scene. While I wouldn't necessarily call this a horror game, I had an unsettling feeling of dread while I played. You spend the entire game alone and mostly silent, which leaves you so tense that even something like the narration kicking in is enough to make you jump. The game also takes some very strange turns that are too incredible to spoil. With the exception of the mines being slower and more frustrating and disconnected than the rest of the game, the only thing you'd want out of Ethan Carter is more story and a few more mechanics to keep you coming back for more.

Worms Clan Wars

I like the game overall, but it tends to grow a bit tired after a few missions from the story. Some of the actions taken on either side were glitchy and would save or kill me. I would throw a bomb and miss, but it would still hit its intended target and I would win. If you enjoyed the rest of the Worms games, you should have this one in your collection. It has its fun moments and can be lighthearted with its dry humor. These Worms can keep you entertained as you go along with the story or create a clan and have fun online. However, I mentioned before that the gameplay is repetitive and becomes frustrating when you unexpectedly jump and fall to your death. I would suggest trying this game out one mission at a time in story mode or Worm Ops to see if you have the skill and patience to keep up with the bots, and then move to Multiplayer and Clan Wars.

The Last Door: Season One Collector's Edition

Simple but effective, The Last Door offers a great, chilling narrative experience. A little on the short side, episodes do not run longer than thirty minutes or so, but its levity is no reason to ignore this well written and conceived story of the supernatural. I sincerely hope that Season Two will see a speedy release.

Lococycle

The fun runs out after a few levels of beating up enemies and mid-air combos. It attempted to keep my interest by introducing various enemies throughout, but the gameplay grew stale quickly with its repetitive fighting missions and combinations. I liked the idea of controlling a motorcycle that can beat the crap out of enemies, but the controls held it back. There was an overall feeling that you could only do so much before you’ve done everything.